tenuis

tĕnŭis, e (in the poets also as dissyl. tēnuis, and hence sometimes written ten-vis, Lucr. 1, 875; 2, 232; 3, 232 al.; cf.

tenuia and tenuius, trisyl.,

id. 4, 66; 4, 808; 3, 243, v. Carey, Lat. Prosody, § 47), adj. [root in Sanscr. tanu; ten., Gr. teinô; prop. stretched out, drawn out; v. teneo; hence], thin, fine, close, etc. (syn.: gracilis, exilis).

I.

Lit.

1.

Of texture, fine, thin:

subtemen,

Plaut. Merc. 3, 1, 20:

vestes,

Tib. 2, 3, 53:

vestes,

Ov. A. A. 3, 707:

amictus,

id. M. 4, 104:

togae,

Hor. Ep. 1, 14, 32:

toga filo tenuissima,

Ov. A. A. 3, 445:

tunicae,

id. F. 2, 319:

natura oculos membranis tenuissimis vestivit et saepsit,

Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 142:

pellis,

Ov. A. A. 3, 77:

arietes tenuioris velleris,

Col. 7, 2, 5.—

2.

Of substance, thin, rare, fine:

tenue caelum (opp. crassum),

Cic. Fat. 4, 7; so,

tenue purumque caelum,

id. Div. 1, 57, 130: aër, rare (with purus), id. N. D. 2, 16, 42; cf.:

aethereus locus tenuissimus est,

id. ib. 2, 15, 42:

capilli,

Ov. Am. 1, 14, 5:

comae,

Tib. 1, 9, 68:

rima,

Ov. M. 4, 65:

vinum,

thin, watery, Plin. 14, 9, 11, § 80; 15, 28, 33, § 110; 23, 1, 22, § 39:

aqua,

clear, Ov. F. 2, 250; cf.

sanguis (opp. crassus),

Plin. 11, 38, 90, § 221:

agmen (militum),

Liv. 25, 23, 16:

acies,

Tac. A. 1, 64; cf.

pluviae,

Verg. G. 1, 92.—

3.

Of form, slim, thin, lank, slender, fine:

penna,

Hor. C. 2, 20, 1:

cauda (piscis),

Ov. M. 4, 726:

acus,

id. Am. 3, 7, 30:

tabellae,

Mart. 14, 3, 1:

nitedula,

thin, lank, meagre, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 29; cf.:

canes macie tenues,

Nemes. Cyn. 137:

Gellius,

Cat. 89, 1:

Thais,

Mart. 11, 101, 1:

umbra (defuncti),

Tib. 3, 2, 9; cf.:

animae (defunctorum),

Ov. M. 14, 411; id. F. 2, 565. —

4.

Of sounds, weak, thin: vox, Pompon. ap. Macr. S. 6, 4, 12 (Com. Rel. v. 59 Rib.); Quint. 11, 3, 32. —

B.

Transf., in gen., little, slight, trifling, poor, mean, etc.:

oppidum tenue sane,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 22, § 53; cf.:

magnae quondam urbis tenue vestigium,

Plin. 3, 4, 5, § 32:

murus,

Cic. Rep. 4, 4, 4:

amnis,

Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 53:

aqua,

shallow, Liv. 1, 4, 6; Ov. F. 2, 250; Quint. 12, 2, 11:

rivulus,

Cic. Rep. 2, 19, 34:

sulcus,

Verg. G. 1, 68:

foramen,

Plin. 16, 36, 66, § 165:

intervallum,

id. 31, 2, 2, § 4:

insignis tenui fronte Lycoris,

Hor. C. 1, 33, 5:

tenuem victum antefert copioso,

Cic. Tusc. 3, 20, 49; so,

victus,

id. Fin. 2, 28, 90; id. Lael. 23, 86; Hor. S. 2, 2, 53:

mensa,

id. C. 2, 16, 14:

cibus,

Phaedr. 4, 13, 7:

tenuissimum patrimonium,

Auct. Her. 4, 38, 50:

opes,

Cic. Quint. 1, 2:

res (familiaris),

Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 20; cf.

census,

id. ib. 1, 7, 56:

honores,

Nep. Milt. 6, 2:

praeda,

Caes. B. G. 6, 35:

tenuissimum lumen,

Cic. N. D. 2, 19, 50:

pumex,

i. e. light, Prop. 3 (4), 1, 8. — Transf., of poor persons:

tenuis (opp. locuples),

Cic. Off. 2, 20, 70:

servus sit an liber, pecuniosus an tenuis,

id. Inv. 1, 25, 35:

fortunae constitui tenuiorum videbantur,

id. Sest. 48, 103; cf.:

locupletissimi cujusque census extenuarant, tenuissimi auxerant,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 55, § 138:

tenuis et obaeratus,

Suet. Caes. 46:

Regulus,

Plin. Ep. 2, 20, 13.—With gen.:

tenuis opum,

Sil. 6, 19.—

II.

Trop.

A.

Fine, nice, delicate, subtle, exact (syn.:

elegans, subtilis): tenuis et acuta distinctio,

Cic. Ac. 2, 14, 43; cf.:

tenues autem differentias (praecepta) habent,

Sen. Ep. 94, 35:

(oratores) tenues, acuti,

Cic. Or. 5, 20; so,

orator,

id. ib. 24, 81; Quint. 12, 10, 21:

aures,

Lucr. 4, 913:

cura,

Ov. P. 4, 6, 37:

Athenae,

elegant, Mart. 6, 64, 17:

rationes latiore specie, non ad tenue limatae,

Cic. Ac. 2, 20, 66:

textum dicendi,

Quint. 10, 1, 64.— Subst.: tĕnŭe, is, n., that which is subtle (opp. comprehensibile), Lact. 7, 4, 12.—

B.

Transf. (acc. to I. B.), weak, trifling, insignificant, mean, low:

cum tenuissimā valetudine esset,

weak, feeble, delicate, Caes. B. G. 5, 40:

tenuis atque infirmus animus,

id. B. C. 1, 32:

ingenium (opp. forte),

Quint. 10, 2, 19:

tenuis et angusta ingeni vena,

id. 6, 2, 3: tenuis exsanguisque sermo, Cic. de Or. 1, 13, 57; Quint. 8, 3, 18:

in ininimis tenuissimisque rebus labi,

Cic. de Or. 1, 37, 169:

tenuissimarum rerum jura,

id. Caecin. 12, 34:

artificium perquam tenue et leve,

id. de Or. 1, 28, 129:

grammatica, ars tenuis ac jejuna,

Quint. 1, 4, 5:

inanis et tenuis spes,

Cic. Rosc. Com. 14, 43; cf.:

spes tenuior,

id. Att. 3, 19, 2:

suspitio,

id. Caecin. 15, 43:

causa tenuis et inops,

id. Fam. 9, 12, 2:

curae,

Verg. G. 1, 177:

gloria,

id. ib. 4, 6:

damnum,

Tac. A. 12, 39:

negotia paulo ad dicendum tenuiora,

Quint. 12, 9, 8:

nec sua plus debet tenui Verona Catullo,

i. e. to the author of trifling, amorous lays, Mart. 10, 103, 5; v. tenuo, II. —

2.

Esp., of rank, standing, etc., low, inferior, common:

tenuiores,

men of lower rank, the lower orders, Cic. Leg. 3, 10, 24; cf.:

tenuis L. Virginius unusque de multis,

id. Fin. 2, 20, 66:

tenuissimus quisque,

id. Verr. 2, 1, 47, § 123:

homines,

id. Mur. 34, 70; cf.:

commoti animi tenuiorum,

id. ib. 23, 47:

si obscuri erunt aut tenues,

id. Part. Or. 34, 117:

qui tenuioris ordinis essent,

id. Leg. 3, 13, 30:

adulescentes tenui loco orti,

Liv. 2, 3, 2. — Hence, adv.: tĕnŭĭter.

1.

Lit.

a.

Thinly:

alutae tenuiter confectae,

Caes. B. G. 3, 13.—

b.

Indifferently, poorly: Da. Quid rei gerit? Ge. Sic, tenuiter. Da. Non multum habet, Quod det, etc., Ter. Phorm. 1, 2, 95.—

2.

Trop.

a.

Finely, acutely, exactly, subtilely:

tenuiter disserere,

Cic. Or. 14, 46:

tenuiter multa, multa sublimiter tenere,

Plin. Ep. 4, 27, 1:

scribere (with argute),

id. ib. 6, 21, 4:

tenuiter et argute multa disserit,

Gell. 6, 2, 6.— Comp.:

illae (argumentationes) tenuius et acutius et subtilius tractantur,

Cic. Inv. 2, 16, 51.—

b.

Lightly, slightly, superficially:

mihi nimium tenuiter Siculorum erga te voluntatis argumenta colligere videor,

Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 65, § 157; Auct. Her. 3, 8, 15; 4, 36, 48.— Sup.:

tenuissime aestimare,

Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 16, § 35.